3 Key Considerations for a Mobile Device Strategy
The explosion of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) in law firms is creating an environment where policies and procedures need to be adjusted in order to remain compliant and secure. Maintaining an information governance strategy is complicated enough, and throwing in mobile devices creates a new dynamic for content management. For that reason, it is important to consider 3 key aspects of mobile device management (MDM) in terms of how your organization considers audits, policies, and security:
- Client audits: The issue of client-driven audits is a whole new topic in and of itself, but in developing a mobile strategy, it should be top of mind. Your client base will require that information be stored, shared, and accessed securely through mobile devices used throughout the firm. How will you answer your client's requirements in terms of mobile security? If there is not an established policy and technology in place for mobile devices, this audit will not be favorable. Mobile access to sensitive information needs to be managed, and not only in one-off situations, but across the board.
- Policy Enforcement: What is a policy without enforcement? It becomes a suggestion and not a mandatory procedure. Any policy is better than no policy, and if enforced, can lead to greater levels of compliance and a more satisfied client base. According to the ILTA survey, MDM continues to be an annoyance for law firms to manage, and over 61% of law firms do not employ a third-party system for MDM. If a solid MDM strategy can be established and adopted, enforcement will be easier to track and employ.
- Security: We hear it over and over, but data security should be one of the top considerations of a mobile device strategy. Symantec did an interesting project to exploit the dangers of smartphone information exposure to intruders. The results of that project can be read here. The bottom line is that mobile devices are super vulnerable to intrusion, and if lost or misplaced, a mobile device strategy should be established that can ensure that information is not read or lost.
Accessing sensitive data on mobile devices will continue to put the firm at risk unless policies are put in place that are easily adopted and understood by everyone affected. Client-driven audits are becoming increasingly specific and complicated to include mobile device security, enforcement, and remedial processes to ensure that personal information is never at risk.
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